When do people trust what they are told: studies on epistemic vigilance

Christophe Heintz (Central European University)

September 30 - 5pm-6:30pm CET

When do people trust what they are told: studies on epistemic vigilance

I will describe the mechanisms that humans have for updating their beliefs in view of what is communicated. I will argue that trusting what others have communicated is a process of belief updating that can be modelled as Bayesian. I will show that this process account for our ability to make the most of what is communicated, but also for behaviours that have been interpreted as signs of gullibility. I will then specify the challenges that our society face because assessment of trustworthiness needs to be made not just for other humans, but also for social institutions.